September 28, 2012

Plug In Day 2012: Tallying Up Millions of Oil-Free Miles with Electric Cars

Last
weekend 25,000 people participated in National Plug In Day events to celebrate
the benefits of electric cars and meet with those who have already chosen to
drive oil-free. In 65 cities electric car owners showed off their cars and
gathered with other interested Americans to talk shop and tally up their
oil-free miles. Our calculation is astounding: The Sierra Club estimates that in the past two
years Americans have driven 200 million oil free miles, avoiding 7.4 million gallons
of gasoline, saving $19.4 million in fueling costs, and keeping 96.5 million
pounds of carbon pollution out of the atmosphere. And this is just the
beginning.

Just a few years ago, these cars were rare, expensive, and a little
weird-looking. But drivers demanded better cars, and today all that has
changed. Virtually every showroom of every major automaker now sells a car that
uses little or no oil at all. At Plug In Day events, drivers were proving that
these vehicles are here and ready for primetime.

For airline
pilot and organizer of the Houston Plug In Day event Kevin Douglass,
the reason to drive an EV became clear to him after September 11, 2001. “My
life changed on that day, as did the lives of many Americans,” he says. “My
primary motivation for buying and driving an EV is based on my concern for national security and U.S. energy
independence. One hundred percent of the energy I put into my EV is made in the
U.S. I even pay a little more to ensure my electric provider uses a green
generation mix.”

A USA
Today
reporter joked that Plug In Day must be everyone’s third favorite holiday after
Thanksgiving and July 4th. For many passionate EV advocates, it's
likely their EV beats turkey.

The only
question is how quickly we can move beyond oil, and how we can we do it in a
way that maintains our quality of life. In addition to other transportation
choices like biking, walking, and transit, we think that electric vehicles are
one of the most effective ways to meet those objectives.

With electric cars, there's no smog, and a switch to EVs slashes climate-polluting
carbon emissions. Also, electric cars also offer significantly better acceleration,
plus there are ten times fewer moving parts to break down than in a
conventional car.

At Plug In
Day events around the country drivers put signs on their windshields showing
off the oil-free miles they have traveled. Each one of these miles was quieter
and cheaper. Each mile sent a clear signal that oil companies do not control
us. Each mile says to automakers that we want even more innovation and
progress. Each mile tells elected officials that we are ready to cut pollution
and solve the climate crisis. And in 2012, the growth of the plug-in industry
itself is proof that we can move America beyond oil.

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